When the tactical World War II squad shooter Brothers in Arms was released in 2005, the History Channel used dynamic battlefield walkthroughs and flythroughs from the game in a documentary of the same name, making it the first videogame to inspire a programme in this way. The documentary tells the story of the 101st Airborne Division, 502nd Parachute Infantry between 6 and 13 June 1944. Featured in Guinness World Records Gamer”s Edition 2010

On April 19, 2000, virtual newscaster Ananova delivered her first news broadcast from www.ananova.com. Ananova, a product of Ananova Ltd. of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, has been programed to act like a human newscaster, responding with relevant emotions and actions depending on the nature of the information she is imparting. Ananova is a complete 3D model, generated in real time using a proprietory rending tool. Ananova speaks English with a mid-Atlantic accent, yet there are plans to add other languages in the future.

Thought to be the earliest memorial in an MMORPG, The Moraj Memorial flag outside the city of Bestine on Tatooine was placed by the Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) team in recognition of Nathan Larkins, one of the game’s beta testers, who was killed in a car accident. The flag marks where beta testers entered the game.

Made by Planning Systems Inc, part of QinetiQ North America, the EARS sniper detection system is the first that can be worn by a fighting soldier. It enables the user, following contact with a sniper, to immediately go on the offensive by giving audio and visual cueing to provide detection and location of an adversary. Based on a miniature, single, integrated acoustic sensor, it weighs under one pound uses just one watt of power.

In November 2008 two discoveries announced at the same time revealed the first images taken in visible light of planets orbiting other stars. The Hubble Space Telescope team snapped a world around the size of Jupiter orbiting just within the dust disk surrounding the bright star Fomalhaut, 25 light years from Earth. Another team using the Keck and Gemini telescopes, directly imaged three planets around the star HR 8799, 129 light years from Earth.

Although usually associated with the Netherlands, the earliest recorded windmills were used for grinding corn in Iran in the 7th century AD. The oldest Dutch mill is the tower-mill at Zeddam, Gelderland, built c.1450.

England batsman Claire Taylor, who was awarded an MBE (for services to sport) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours 2010, was the first woman to receive the Wisden accolade in the 120-year history of the award. In 2009, Taylor was an integral part of the England team that won the Women’s World Cup (she was named player of the tournament for her 324 runs at an average of 64.80) and the inaugural Women’s World Twenty20 and retained the Ashes (against Australia). Taylor has also scored Continue reading →

The first wristwatch was made for a woman, Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, by Swiss watch manufacturer Patek Philippe in 1868. Although it was the first timekeeping device to be designed specifically for use on the wrist, it was intended primarily as a piece of decorative jewellery. It has been claimed that pocket watches were adapted to be worn on wrist bracelets prior to 1868, perhaps as early as the 1570s. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this, and Patek Philippe’s design for Countess Continue reading →

The fish with most eyes is the six-eyed spookfish (Bathylychnops exilis), which inhabits depths of 91–910 m (300–3,000 ft) in the northeastern Pacific, and was only discovered by science in 1958. A slender 45-cm (17-in) long pike-like species, it not only has a pair of large, principal eyes, but also has a second, smaller pair, known as secondary globes, positioned within the lower half of its principal eyes and pointing downwards. Each of these globes possesses its own lens and retina, and may help to Continue reading →

The country with the lowest high point is Maldives, with a maximum elevation above sea level of 2.4m (8 ft)